Allons y! A Weekend Guide to Montreal, Canada

April 12, 2017

Having lived in different parts of Quebec for about a year, I made a few weekend trips to Montreal and it’s always a trip to look forward to. A special part of Canada, Montreal is this hybrid between renaissance Europe architecture, and modern, lively, young night life. It is by far the coolest city in Canada in terms of fun. Montreal truly is a mecca for great food, people and culture. Ideally, it would be nice to move there to enjoy all the great culture, but if you’re only in town for the weekend, here’s a guide of how to hit all the best food and attractions in one weekend.

Friday – Late night poutine at La Banquist

Let’s just start smack into Canadian-French culture: Poutine. It’s the classic, Canadian dish, you know is bad for you, but you can’t stop eating. Poutine is a French-Canadian dish that is essentially fries, covered in gravey, and topped with cheese curds. How does one not drool at the sound of that?! And more modernly, it can be topped with everything from bacon, to sausage, to pulled pork, and peas, you name it!

Saturday Morning Brunch at L’Avenue

While this wasn’t the best brunch I’ve ever had in my life (go about 200km south to Wilf and Ada’s in Ottawa for that), L’Avenue is very good and popular in Montreal. It’s also at a convenient place and makes incredible bread!

Saturday Afternoon Tourisim: Mont Royal, Old Port, and Notre Dame

Grab a bike and tour the town! On one of the weekends, I took a bike around and it was so much better. You get to everywhere much quicker but you still get to see a lot of the city instead of always being in a subway.

But before you grab the bike, go to Mont Royal. Unless you can bike up the mountain, I personally cannot, so a beautiful walk it was…

Mont Royal Park: 1260 Remembrance Rd.

Best view of the city!

Old Port: 333 Rue de la Commune O.

There’s always fun festivals going around!

Notre Dame: 110 Notre-Dame St W.

I personally think it’s nicer than the Notre Dame Paris; breathtaking! Ordinarily I would recommend this in the evening for the “And then there was light show” but it was unfortunately cancelled. Still a beautiful basilica!

Saturday Night – Smoked Montreal Meat dinner at Schwarz’s Deli

I chose to get the classic meal paired with a pickle and black cherry soda as recommended by the staff.

While poutine is found in everywhere in Quebec (and Canada), smoked meat is special to Montreal. And you have to go to Schwarz’s, I’m serious. The line is HUGE but it’s for a very good reason. On one of my visits to Montreal, I went to a different smoked meat place because my friends and I were on a tighter schedule and couldn’t wait. It was not as good and we ended up getting sick. Another plus, is that not only do they have incredible smoked meat sandwiches, the guys that work there are super nice. My friend and I ended up sitting at the bar, and got to watch them make sandwiches the whole time with a great attitude. Memorizing.

The only thing better than the food is the staff! Plus you can buy the seasoning salt, I bough one for my mom and she loved it.

I’m literally modeling the drink it was so good. And I was not kidding about the line!

Rest Break – Back to your Accommodation

Cause everyone needs a break! Time to take a food-coma nap. Get well rested because next up is a long night ahead! So as the sun sets it’s time to get ready for the sunrise.

Saturday Night on the Town

All dolled up! Great, now let’s get ready to go! Unfortunately, I can’t tell you which is the best night club because what’s hot one night, ain’t going to be hot the next. But look up some local events and see where to go next, but it doesn’t stop there.

Montreal’s night life is also reminiscent of Europe. As the night clubs close around 2-3am, the after party is still going on! Literally partied until the subways opened up again at sunrise. Good times always.

Sunday Morning Dim Sum in Chinatown

Okay so it was a long night. And what’s better for hangover food than dim sum! Of course, this isn’t true authentic French-Canadian food, but personally, when I wake up, I really need something substantial and waffles and sweets won’t do it. A part from Vancouver, I think Montreal has one of the best Chinatowns in Canada!

China Town Kim Fung is one of the best rated and I completely agree. Not high-end by any means, but gets the job done. Located at: Ville-Marie 1111 Rue Saint-Urbain.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

One of the coolest museums, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts blends in beautiful art, with a playful experience.

Peek a boo! Taking every photo opportunity I can.

During one of my visits, the Chihuly exhibit was in town and they even had a ceiling of glass art and pillows so you can lie down and truly experience the beauty of the light and glass.

Originally a temporary piece, the Chihuly sun was announced as a part of the permanent collection and sits outside the museum.

Sunday Afternoon stroll and lunch at Marche Jean Talon

And speaking of art, I think there’s a real art to food, and you can eat it too. Endless possibilites and the freshest food you can find (seriously, I still think about that amazing peach I ate here), it’s time to taste test everything in sight (for research of course).

The Botanical Gardens

I absolutely loved the Botanical Gardens, but it’s not a must-see in Montreal. If you missed any of the classic locations due to weather or time, this is the time to catch anything you had to miss. But the Botanical Gardens are definitely worth it. These sculptures are ENORMOUS. And on a beautiful day, it’s the perfect ending.

Sunday Night – Goodbye Vieux Montreal

And to end off, it’s one last hurrah in Old Montreal. Of course you probably walked (and biked) around yesterday to see the town and Old Port, but this is a great way to end. Truly authentic to Montreal and near any train station/transfers that you may need to get back home. So sit in a cafe or restaurant with your luggage or find the last minute souvenirs, Montreal is a magical place.

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3 thoughts on “Allons y! A Weekend Guide to Montreal, Canada”

Lovely photos :-). There are places I dream to go, but Montreal wasn’t part of my short list. I don’t really know why, there’s no reason, maybe it was just to far away from France. However, reading your post, I have the feeling that the Montreal ambiance is very relaxed and pleasant. It a charming city even if there’s no particular architecture. I particularly loved the pictures of the Vieux Montréal & the botanic garden

Thank you so much! Yes it’s very far but if you’re ever in the area I really think you’ll like it 🙂 I love visiting France but it’s too far for me so this is my little piece of French culture that I miss so much <3

Oh my gosh this post made me SOOO nostalgic. I love Montreal and have been to (/eaten at haha) so many of these places you mentioned. Was L’Avenue not just life changing?! Coolest bathroom ever haha. This is an awesome guide.

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About Me

Hi!

My name is Kimberly. When I turned twenty, I bought my first international plane ticket and it's been a whirlwind ever since. Since then I've been moving around, working different jobs, and learning all the lessons of growing up that come with it. From the outside, it looks like I have it together, but really, it's been a roller coaster of success, failures, and insecurities. I specialize in navigating adulthood - making the most of your university years, paying off student debt, finding your own career, and traveling along the way!